Refillable grout dispenser with guide

ABSTRACT

The refillable grout dispenser with guide has a reversible dispensing tip that fits into either end of the tube. The dispenser is operated by standard caulking guns. A plunger disc is pushed through the tube by the caulking gun plunger, forcing the grout out the dispensing tip. The dispensing tip may be removed from one end of the tube, and may be re-installed on the other end of the tube so that the tube may be refilled with grout and used again. The tip has a guide pin extending from near its opening. The guide pin helps keep the dispensing tip raised above the surface the grout is being applied to, and also helps the user move the dispenser along the desired path. The outer surfaces of the dispensing tip may be flat to help the user grip the tip when removing or installing it.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/646,529, filed Jan. 25, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to dispensers. More specifically, theinvention relates to dispensers used in dispensing grout, caulk, orother similar materials.

2. Description of the Related Art

Caulk, grout and other sealing compounds used in building constructionare often sold in tubes. The tubes are designed to fit into dispensingmechanisms known as caulking guns. The tubes usually have an opening attheir front end through which the compound is dispensed when a plungerat the back of the caulking gun is pushed through the tube and towardthe front opening. When all of the sealing compound is pushed out of thetube, the empty tube is removed from the caulking gun and replaced witha new, full tube. Repeatedly disposing of these empty tubes is wastefuland harmful to the environment over time.

Additionally, the sealing compound is usually dispensed along a long,straight line in order to seal cracks around the straight edges ofbuilding materials. In order for the sealant to work effectively, thecompound must be administered in even amounts along the entire length ofthose edges, and must not deviate far from the line of the edges. Anygaps in the application of the compound may create a number of problems,such as allowing heat and moisture to pass through barriers, allowingpests, such as insects and rodents, to enter a building, etc.

If the opening in the tip of the tube is too close to the surface ontowhich the compound is being applied, the compound may back up into thetip and clog the opening. This creates a gap in the sealing compound andopens the door for possible damage to the building. Thus a refillablegrout dispenser with a guide that solves the aforementioned problems isdesired.

Thus, a refillable grout dispenser with guide solving the aforementionedproblems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The refillable grout dispenser with guide has a reversible dispensingtip that fits into either end of a caulking tube. The dispenser isoperated by standard caulking guns. A plunger disc is pushed through thetube by the caulking gun plunger, forcing the grout out the dispensingtip. The plunger disc has an outer diameter slightly less than the innerdiameter of the caulking tube. The plunger disc may be made of anelastic material or may have a sealing gasket or O-ring secured aroundits circumference to seal the connection between the side of the plungerdisc and the tube wall. This prevents any sealing compound from escapingpast the plunger disc during operation, thereby forcing the sealingcompound through the dispensing tip when the plunger is depressed.

A jam ring slides into the end of the tube and holds the dispensing tipto the tube using a compression fit. The jam ring has a flange extendingradially from one edge. The flange acts as a stop to prevent the jamring from being pushed completely into the tube, holding the jam ring atthe end of the tube. The jam ring has screw threading along its innerdiameter to allow the dispensing tip to be attached to the jam ring.When the dispensing tip is screwed into the jam ring, the jam ring ispressed outward, forming the compression fit against the inside wall ofthe tube, thereby holding the dispensing tip in the tube. An o-ring orgasket may be secured around the outer diameter of the jam ring to sealthe compression fit between the jam ring and the tube wall, preventingany sealing compound from escaping the tube chamber through thiscompression fit. In a second embodiment, the jam ring and the dispensingtip are basically formed as a single unit at the receiving end of thedispensing tip, with a locking pin extending outwardly from thereceiving end and engaging an L-shaped slot in the tube. In thisembodiment, an O-ring or gasket may be secured around the outer diameterof the dispensing tip receiving end to seal the compression fit betweenthe receiving end of the dispensing tip and the tube wall.

The dispensing tip has a receiving end and a tapered nozzle that extendsaway from the tube when the dispensing tip is installed. In a firstembodiment, the receiving end has threading around its outer diameter,which allows it to be secured into the threading on the jam ring. Whenthe dispensing tip is fully secured into the jam ring, the receiving endof the dispensing tip extends beyond the jam ring to provide a surfaceagainst which the plunger disc may abut during use of the dispenser.

In a second embodiment, the dispensing tip and jam ring are basicallyformed as a single unit at the receiving end of the dispensing tip. Theinner end of the receiving end provides a surface against which theplunger disc may abut during use of the dispenser. The tapered nozzlemay be conical with a circular passage opening, or may have a number offlat planar surfaces that converge as they get further from thereceiving end. The flat surfaces allow the user to grip the dispensingtip more easily when screwing or unscrewing the dispensing tip into orout of the jam ring, and also allow the user to grip the dispensing tipmore easily when twisting the dispensing tip and turning the locking pininto or out of the L-shaped slot. All edges connecting the flat, planarsurface on the nozzle are rounded for ergonomic reasons.

A passage extends through the dispensing tip from the receiving end andthrough the nozzle. This passage allows the sealing compound containedin the tube chamber to be dispensed onto a surface that is to be sealed.The passage may have any cross-sectional profile, including circular orrectangular, and is tapered along with the nozzle, allowing the nozzleto be trimmed at different locations to provide passage openings ofdifferent sizes. This allows the user to adjust the area the sealingcompound dispensed is spread over.

When the plunger disc has been pushed through the tube until it contactsthe receiving end of the dispensing tip, the bulk of the sealingcompound that had been contained in the chamber inside the tube has beendispensed. At this point, the dispensing tip may be removed from one endof the tube, and the tip may be re-installed on the other end of thetube so that the tube may be refilled with grout and used again. Freshsealing compound may be inserted into the larger section of the chamber,now behind the plunger disc, before the dispensing tip is re-installedon that end of the tube.

The dispensing tip may additionally include a guide pin extending fromnear its passage opening. The guide pin helps keep the dispensing tipraised above the surface that the grout is being applied to, and alsohelps the user move the dispenser along the desired path. The guide pinmay have a groove cut down its side, allowing the guide pin to bepressure fit into a bore in the nozzle. The bore is axially parallel tothe passage extending through the dispensing tip, but is offset radiallyso that the guide pin does not interfere with the compound as it isdispensed.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reversible refillable grout dispenserwith guide according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section view drawn along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of areversible refillable grout dispenser with guide according to thepresent invention having an alternative connection between thedispensing tip and the tube.

FIG. 4 is a section view drawn along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an environmental perspective view of a reversible refillablegrout dispenser with guide according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a section view drawn along lines 6-6 of FIG. 1.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the present invention is a refillable groutdispenser, designated generally as 10 in the drawings, that has areversible dispensing tip 20 that fits into either end of the caulkingtube 30. The dispenser 10 is operated by standard caulking guns G, asshown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the dispenser 10 has aplunger disc 32 that is pushed through the tube 30 by the caulking gunplunger (which is conventionally a caulking gun disc mounted at the endof a trigger driven rod), forcing the sealing compound S out thedispensing tip 20. The plunger disc 32 has an outer diameter slightlyless than the inner diameter of the caulking tube 30. The plunger disc32 may be made of an elastic material or may have a sealing gasket 34 orO-ring secured around its circumference to seal the connection betweenthe edge 36 of the plunger disc 32 and the tube wall 38. This preventsany sealing compound S from escaping past the plunger disc 32 duringoperation, thereby forcing the sealing compound S through the dispensingtip 20 when the plunger is depressed.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in a first embodiment, jam ring 40 slidesinto the end 62 of the tube 30 and holds the dispensing tip 20 to thetube 30 using a compression fit. To aid in the insertion of jam ring 40into the end 62 of tube 30, the inside edge 41 of the tube end 62 may bebeveled. The jam ring 40 has a flange 42 extending radially from one endof the ring 40. The flange 42 acts as a stop to prevent the jam ring 40from being pushed completely into the tube 30, holding the jam ring 40at the end 62 of the tube 30. The jam ring 40 has screw-threading 44along its inner diameter in order to allow the dispensing tip 20 to beattached to the jam ring 40. The jam ring 40 is expandable, so that whenthe dispensing tip 20 is screwed into the jam ring 40, the jam ring 40is pressed outward, forming the compression fit against the inside wall38 of the tube 30, thereby holding the dispensing tip 20 in the tube 30.

An O-ring 46 or gasket may be secured around the outer diameter of thejam ring 40 to seal the compression fit between the jam ring 40 and thetube wall 38, preventing any sealing compound S from escaping the tubechamber 14 through the compression fit. The dispensing tip 20 has areceiving end 22 that fits into the jam ring 40, and a tapered nozzle 24that extends away from the tube 30 when the dispensing tip 20 isinstalled. The receiving end 22 has external threading 26 around itsouter diameter, which allows the dispensing tip 20 to be secured intothe internal threading 44 on the jam ring 40. When the dispensing tip 20is fully secured into the jam ring 40, the receiving end 22 of thedispensing tip 20 extends beyond the jam ring 40 to provide a surfaceagainst which the plunger disc 32 may abut during use of the dispenser10.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in a second embodiment, receiving end 43 ofdispensing tip 20 includes a locking pin 45 that extends radiallyoutward from the outer side of the receiving end 43. The dispensing tip20 has a flange 49 extending radially therefrom adjacent to thereceiving end 43. The end 62 of tube 30 has an L-shaped slot 47 definedtherein, the slot 47 having an axial leg 51 that extends inward from theedge of tube end 62 and a transverse leg 53 substantially perpendicularto the end of axial leg 51. To assemble the refillable grout dispenserof this embodiment, receiving end 43 of dispensing tip 20 is insertedinto, and forms a compression fit with, the end 62 of tube 30, withlocking pin 45 engaging and sliding down the axial leg 51 of L-shapedslot 47. To aid in the insertion of the receiving end 43 into the end 62of tube 30, the inside edge 41 of the tube end 62 may be beveled.

Once the receiving end 43 of dispensing tip 20 is fully inserted intotube 30 with flange 49 abutting end 62, dispensing tip 20 is rotatedabout its axis so that locking pin 45 is turned into the transverse leg53 of L-shaped slot 47. Flange 49 and pin 45 prevent the receiving end43 of dispensing tip 20 from being pushed completely into the tube 30.The compression fit between dispensing tip receiving end 43, and theengagement of locking pin 45 with the transverse leg 53 of L-shaped slot47 holds dispensing tip 20 in the tube 30. An O-ring 46 or gasket may besecured around the outer diameter of the receiving end 43 in order toseal the compression fit between the receiving end 43 of dispenser tip20 and the tube wall 38, preventing any sealing compound S from escapingthe tube chamber 14 through this compression fit. When the dispensingtip 20 is fully secured into the end 62 of tube 30, the receiving end 43of the dispensing tip provides a surface against which the plunger disc32 may abut during use of the dispenser 10.

The tapered nozzle 24 may be conical, or may have a number of flatplanar surfaces 28 that taper from wide to narrow as the nozzle 24extends from the receiving end 22 towards the tip. The flat surfaces 28allow the user to grip the dispensing tip 20 more easily when screwingthe dispensing tip 20 into the jam ring 40, or when unscrewing thedispensing tip 20 from the jam ring 40. Similarly, flat surfaces 28 alsoallow the user to grip the dispensing tip 20 more easily when twistingthe locking pin 45 into or out of the transverse leg 53 of L-shaped slot47. All edges 18 connecting the flat, planar surfaces 28 on the nozzle24 are rounded, for ergonomic reasons.

A passage 16 extends through the dispensing tip 20 and extends from thereceiving end 22 through the entire length of the nozzle 24 to the tip.This passage 16 allows the sealing compound S contained in the tubechamber 14 to be dispensed onto a surface that is to be sealed. Thepassage 16 may have any cross-sectional profile, including circular orrectangular, and is tapered along with the nozzle 24, allowing thenozzle 24 to be trimmed at different locations to provide differentsized passage openings 52 at the tip end. This allows the user to adjustthe area the sealing compound S being dispensed is spread over.

When the plunger disc 32 has been pushed through the tube 30 until itcontacts the dispensing tip 20, the bulk of the sealing compound S thathad been contained in the chamber 14 inside the tube 30 has beendispensed. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the dispensing tip 20 maybe unscrewed from the jam ring 40, and both the tip 20 and the jam ring40 may be re-installed on the opposite end 64 of the tube 30 so that thetube 30 may be refilled with sealing compound S and used again. Freshsealing compound S may be inserted into the larger section of thechamber 14, now behind the dispenser plunger disc 32, before thedispensing tip 20 and jam ring 40 are installed on that end 64 of thetube 30. Similarly, in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, the dispensingtip 20 may be removed from the end 62 of tube 30 by rotating dispensingtip 20 so that locking pin 45 is turned from the transverse leg 53 intothe axial leg 51 of L-shaped slot 47. The dispensing tip may then beremoved from end 62 of tube 30 by sliding locking pin 45 out of theaxial leg 51 and out of L-shaped slot 47. Fresh sealing compound S maybe inserted into the larger section of the chamber 14, now behind thedispenser plunger disc 32, before the dispensing tip 20 is installed onthat end 64 of the tube 30, with locking pin 45 engaging a similarL-shaped slot defined in end 64 of tube 30.

The dispensing tip 20 may additionally include a guide pin 50 extendingfrom near the passage opening 52 in the nozzle 24. The guide pin 50helps keep the dispensing tip 20 raised above the surface that thesealing compound S is being applied to, and also helps the user move thedispenser 10 along the desired path. The guide pin 50 may have a groove54, shown in FIG. 6, extending axially down its side, allowing the guidepin 50 to be pressure fit into a bore 56 in the nozzle 24. The bore 56is axially parallel to the passage 16 extending through the dispensingtip 20, but is offset radially so that the guide pin 50 does notinterfere with the compound S as it is dispensed.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A refillable grout dispenser, comprising: an elongate, cylindricaltube having a first end, a second end, the tube defining a chamber forcontaining a sealing compound; a dispenser plunger disc disposed in thetube, the plunger disc being axially movable in the chamber so that theplunger disc is adapted for forcing the sealing compound through thechamber when the plunger disc is moved axially along the chamber; adispensing tip having a receiving end and a tapered nozzle extendingfrom the receiving end to an open tip end, the dispensing tip having apassage extending axially therethrough from the receiving end to thetapered nozzle tip end, the receiving end being removably disposedwithin the chamber alternately at the first end and the second end ofthe tube; and means for removably securing the receiving end of thedispensing tip within the chamber; whereby the sealing compound isadapted for being pushed through the chamber and the dispensing tip,exiting through the open tip end of the nozzle for application to asurface, the dispensing tip being removable from the tube andalternately attached to the alternate end of the tube in order to refillthe tube with additional sealing compound.
 2. The refillable groutdispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: a bore defined insaid nozzle, the bore being substantially axially parallel to thepassage in said nozzle and radially offset from the passage in saidnozzle; and a guide pin having a first end securely held in the bore anda second end extending from said nozzle for aligning said dispenserduring use and adapted for raising the open tip end above the surface towhich the grout is being applied.
 3. The refillable grout dispenseraccording to claim 1, wherein the receiving end of said dispensing tipis externally threaded, said means for securing comprising a jam ringhaving an expandable, hollow, cylindrical body and a circular flangeextending radially from one end of the cylindrical body, the cylindricalbody being internally threaded, the outer diameter of the jam ring beingslightly less than the interior diameter of said cylindrical tube, thecylindrical body being threadably insertable into one of the ends ofsaid cylindrical tube with the jam ring flange abutting the end of saidcylindrical tube so that the jam ring expands outward in order to form acompression fit against the end of said cylindrical tube, therebyremovably securing said dispensing tip to said tube.
 4. The refillablegrout dispenser according to claim 3, further including a gasket securedaround the outer diameter of said jam ring cylindrical body, the gasketsealing the compression fit between said jam ring and said cylindricaltube.
 5. The refillable grout dispenser according to claim 3, whereinsaid nozzle comprises a plurality of flat, planar exterior surfaces forallowing a user to grip said nozzle when installing and removing saiddispensing tip to and from said jam ring.
 6. The refillable groutdispenser according to claim 3, wherein each of the ends of saidcylindrical tube has a beveled edge.
 7. The refillable grout dispenseraccording to claim 1, wherein said cylindrical tube has an L-shaped slotdefined therein at each of the ends of the tube, the L-shaped slothaving an axial leg beginning at an edge of the respective end of saidcylindrical tube and extending axially along said tube and a transverseleg extending from, and transverse to, the axial leg, said means forsecuring comprising: a circular flange extending radially outward fromsaid dispensing tip nozzle adjacent to the receiving end, the outerdiameter of the receiving end being slightly less than the interiordiameter of said cylindrical tube; and a locking pin extending radiallyoutward from the receiving end of said dispensing tip, the receiving endof said dispensing tip being insertable into the respective end of saidcylindrical tube with the locking pin engaging and sliding along theaxial leg of the L-shaped slot until the circular flange abuts therespective end of said tube and the pin is in registry with thetransverse leg of the L-shaped slot, said dispensing tip being rotatedin order to turn the locking pin into the transverse leg, therebysecuring said dispensing tip to said cylindrical tube with a compressionfit between the receiving end and said cylindrical tube.
 8. Therefillable grout dispenser according to claim 7, further including agasket secured around the receiving end of said dispensing tip forsealing the compression fit between the receiving end and said tube. 9.The refillable grout dispenser according to claim 7, wherein said nozzlecomprises a plurality of flat, planar exterior surfaces for allowing auser to grip said nozzle when installing and removing said dispensingtip to and from said cylindrical tube.
 10. The refillable groutdispenser according to claim 7, wherein each of the ends of saidcylindrical tube has a beveled edge.
 11. A method for refilling andreusing a refillable grout dispenser, comprising the steps of: insertinga reusable and refillable dispenser into a caulking gun, the dispenserhaving a cylindrical tube and a dispensing tip removably attached to thetube; dispensing sealing compound from the cylindrical tube through thedispensing tip; removing the dispensing tip from a first end of thecylindrical tube; refilling the cylindrical tube by adding new sealingcompound into the tube chamber through a second end of the tube;inserting the dispensing tip into the second end of the tube; andreplacing said dispenser into the caulking gun for re-use.
 12. Themethod for refilling and reusing a refillable grout dispenser of claim11, wherein the step of removing the dispensing tip from a first end ofsaid cylindrical tube further includes the steps of; unscrewing saiddispensing tip from a jam ring; removing said dispensing tip and saidjam ring from the first end of said cylindrical tube.
 13. The method forrefilling and reusing a refillable grout dispenser according to claim12, wherein the step of inserting said dispensing tip into a second endof the tube further includes the steps of: inserting the jam ring intothe second end of said cylindrical tube; and screwing said dispensingtip into said jam ring.
 14. The method for refilling and reusing arefillable grout dispenser of claim 11, wherein the step of removing thedispensing tip from a first end of said cylindrical tube furtherincludes the steps of: rotating the dispensing tip about its axis sothat a locking pin on said dispensing tip disengages from a transverseleg of an L-shaped slot defined in said cylindrical tube; and pullingsaid dispensing tip from said cylindrical tube, said locking pin slidingalong an axial leg of said L-shaped slot until said locking pin isdisengaged from said L-shaped slot and said dispensing tip is removedfrom said cylindrical tube.
 15. The method for refilling and reusing arefillable grout dispenser according to claim 14, wherein the step ofinserting said dispensing tip into a second end of the tube furtherincludes the steps of inserting and sliding the locking pin on saiddispensing tip along an axial leg of an L-shaped slot in the second endof the cylindrical tube; and rotating the dispensing tip so that thelocking pin turns into and engages a transverse leg of said L-shapedslot defined in said cylindrical tube second end.